How to Create a Spring Garden Checklist

Hey friends, Jess here from @lovejessco on social media. Spring is right around the corner and it’s one of the most inspiring times of the year for me. Being outdoors more doesn’t mean you need to spend less time planning or organizing in your notebooks - In fact, getting a checklist together ahead of time can make your time outside more productive! Today I’m sharing a fun Spring Garden Checklist so you can get a jump start on your garden To-Do list this year.

SUPPLIES:

Notebook (A5 used, but any size will work!)

Ruler

Corner Rounder

Adhesive

Stamps

Paper Trimmer

Acrylic Blocks

Ink Pads

Fineliners

Gel Pen

Calliographs

Sketch the Layout

Before I get started with a layout in my notebooks, I like to do a sketch with pencil. This lets me see how the layout will fill the page and make sure I’m getting the best use out of my spreads. This way, anything that didn’t work out can be easily erased. 

Embrace the Imperfections

As I was creating this spread, I made a lot of mistakes. With the theme of the spread being gardening, that put me in the mindset to embrace those imperfections and keep going with my layout. It’s easy to get frustrated and want to start over any time we make a mistake, but there’s almost always a way to ‘save’ your layouts when you make a mistake. That journal real estate is too precious to be starting over every time something goes wrong! I kept the mistakes I made in the video tutorial so that you can see none of us are perfect and give you some encouragement to embrace those mistakes in your notebooks, too!

Work With What You’ve Got

I use a lot of stamps in my layouts because that’s a supply I have a lot of. I also make greeting cards, so I have a large collection of stamps for that purpose. If you don’t have stamps, feel free to draw your own illustrations. You could also use things like printed clip art, washi tape, or stickers to add some interest in place of the stamped images. 

Drawing, and even stamping, can definitely take a bit of time. If you’re short on time or just aren’t into the process of drawing or stamping, I created a free printable for you to use in your notebook. You can print this image and attach it to your notebook so your checklist is ready to go in minutes. 

Change Up the Fonts

If you’re looking for ways to make your layouts pop a little more, consider changing up the fonts you’re using. This can be done with different stamped alphabets, but you can also do this by hand with a fineliner or marker. Adding different line thickness and using a mix of script and print fonts is a great way to add visual interest to your spread.

Add Some Color

Adding a little bit of color can really bring a layout together and make it feel complete. To add color, I usually reach for brush markers like my Calliographs because there are so many colors to choose from and the ink doesn’t bleed through the paper. I used them in this spread to color in my stamped images and outline the title for a fun pop of color.